Gerresheimer is building new production capacity for glass syringes at its Skopje site
- Expansion of the location in the Republic of North Macedonia with a new production hall for glass syringes
- Total investment volume of over 100 million euros
- Around 250 new jobs for skilled workers from the region
- Syringe production will start at the end of 2024
Gerresheimer, innovative system and solution provider and global partner for the pharmaceutical, biotech and cosmetics industries, is expanding its production capacities in Skopje, North Macedonia, with a new syringe factory. Since 2019, Gerresheimer has been producing drug delivery systems, diagnostics and medical products made of plastic at this location on around 14,600 m². The new factory hall adds around 7,600 m² of production space for glass injection molding. The company is investing over EUR 100 million in the construction and equipment of the new building. As the location expands, the number of employees in Skopje will double from around 250 to 500 jobs in the next three to five years. The new factory hall in Skopje is one of the currently important projects for global capacity expansion in the area of drug delivery systems and syringes for long-term customer contracts.
“Bundling production capacities for plastic and glass at one location for the efficient production of integrated solutions for the pharmaceutical industry is a further step in the implementation of our formula g corporate strategy,” explains Dietmar Siemssen, CEO of Gerresheimer AG. “As a system and solution provider, our customers receive individually tailored, fully integrated solutions. In the future, for example, we will also be delivering ready-to-fill syringe systems from Skopje.”
New syringe production hall for the highest demands
The new production hall is specially designed for the production of syringes and other primary packaging materials made of tubular glass. The total area, including clean rooms of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) classes C and D, covers around 7,600 m² – which is roughly the size of a football field. The new hall offers space for the precision glass molding lines developed and manufactured by Gerresheimer as well as the specific assembly and ready-to-fill lines.
Glass and plastic production with growth reserves at one location
Since 2019, Gerresheimer has been producing in Skopje on around 14,600 m², including clean rooms of ISO classes 7, 8 and 9, drug delivery systems as well as diagnostics and medical products and components made of plastic. This also includes syringe accessories such as the Gerresheimer syringe closure system Gx TELC or the Gx InnoSafe safety system, which protects against accidental needlestick injuries.
One advantage of the factory in Skopje is the possibility of combining production capacities for pharmaceutical plastic and glass products at one location with the 7,600 m² expansion building. This enables efficient production of integrated solutions with optimized logistics. For example, customers can purchase fully assembled ready-to-fill syringe systems in a wide variety of configurations from Skopje. The location in Skopje also offers growth reserves. A further 100,000 m² is available on the site for future expansions.
Quality assurance with the latest technology
Gerresheimer uses state-of-the-art inspection systems for quality assurance as part of its certified quality management system, including, for example, the Gx G3 inspection system developed by Gerresheimer with high-speed camera technology and AI-based image processing for syringe production. In addition, the plant in Skopje has two of its own laboratories with high-precision measurement and laboratory technology for optical, mechanical, chemical and microbiological examinations.
Very good infrastructure and local skilled workers
The Gerresheimer Skopje location is located in a well-connected industrial area near the international airport of the North Macedonian capital. Larger Mediterranean ports in Greece and Albania are each around 250 km away. The country has well-trained specialists. Around a quarter of the Gerresheimer workforce at the site was trained in Germany by Gerresheimer experts. Gerresheimer also cooperates with the University of Skopje to attract qualified young talent.
Start of syringe production in Skopje at the end of 2024
The first syringe production lines will start shortly in Skopje, and more will be added during 2025. Gerresheimer is currently bundling syringe production at its locations in Bünde (Germany), Querétaro (Mexico) and Skopje (Republic of North Macedonia).